Appointments

  • Senior Lecturer of Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania
    July 2019 —
  • Teaching Assistant Professor of Mathematics, North Carolina State University
    August 2013 — June 2019
  • Hans Rademacher Instructor of Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania
    July 2011 — July 2013

Education

  • Ph.D., Mathematics, Michigan State University, August 2011
    Thesis: Mean Curvature Flow in Higher Codimension
    Adviser: Jon G. Wolfson
  • B.S., Mathematics, The Honors College, Michigan State University, August 2005
    With High Honor. Major coursework in linguistics.

Scholarship and Publications

Conference and Seminar Talks

  • seminar talks
    • University of Pennsylvania Geometry/Topology Seminar, October 2020
    • Talk Math With Your Friends, May 2020
    • Temple Geometry and Topology Seminar, February 2019
    • Claremont Topology Seminar, January 2019
    • North Carolina State University Geometry and Topology Seminar, April 2018
    • University of Georgia Geometry Seminar, March 2018
    • Duke University Geometry/Topology Seminar, February 2016
    • Oberseminar Geometrische Analysis und Mathematisches Relativitätstheorie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, October 2015
    • Michigan State University Geometry Seminar, March 2015
    • Rutgers University Geometric Analysis Seminar, March 2015
    • North Carolina State University Geometry and Topology Seminar, February & September 2015
    • North Carolina State University Differential Equations Seminar, April 2014
    • Michigan State University Geometric Analysis Seminar, November 2013
    • L2 Geometry/Topology Seminar (Lafayette College and Lehigh University), March 2013
    • Bicollege Mathematics Colloquium (Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College), February 2013
    • Stony Brook University Geometry/Topology Seminar, March 2012
    • University of Pennsylvania Geometry/Topology Seminar, September 2011, October 2020
    • Temple University Geometry/Topology Seminar, September 2011
    • Michigan State University Geometric Analysis Seminar, March 2009 & April 2010
  • conference talks
    • “Simplicial Complexes and Configuration Spaces,” January 2019
      Joint Mathematics Meetings, Baltimore
    • “A Maximum Principle for Circle-Valued Temperatures”, November 2018
      AMS Southeastern Sectional Meeting, University of Arkansas
    • “A ‘chromatic’ polynomial for simplicial complexes”, March 2017
      AMS Southeastern Sectional, College of Charleston
    • “Homology of Generalized Generalized Configuration Spaces”, July 2016
      TOPOSYM 2016: Twelfth Symposium on General Topology, Czech Technical University, Prague
    • “A Maximum Principle for Circle-Valued Temperature Functions”, March 2016
      AMS Eastern Sectional, Stony Brook University
    • “Lagrangian mean curvature flow, the Maslov class, and special Lagrangians”, January 2016
      Joint Mathematics Meetings, Seattle
    • “Singularities of Lagrangian Mean Curvature Flow Are Mild or Conical”, November 2015
      AMS Eastern Sectional, Rutgers University
    • “Visual Thinking in Mathematics” with Radmila Sazdanovic, June 2015
      SPM-EMS-AMS Joint Meeting, Porto
    • “Lagrangian Submanifolds under Mean Curvature Flow” March 2014
      48th Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference, University of Richmond
    • “Smooth Singularity Models for Lagrangian Mean Curvature Flow”, September 2012
      AMS Eastern Sectional, Rochester Institute of Technology
    • “Smooth Singularity Models for the Lagrangian Mean Curvature Flow”, April 2011
      AMS Eastern Sectional, College of the Holy Cross
    • “Smooth Singularity Models for the Lagrangian Mean Curvature Flow”, November 2010
      AMS Central Sectional, University of Notre Dame
  • talks on teaching
    • Standards, Techniques, and Specifications, Oh My!”, February 2022
      workshop-colloquium on alternative grading schemes, University of Detroit Mercy
    • “Content-Based Specifications Grading in a Proofs Course,” January 2019
      Joint Mathematics Meetings, Baltimore
    • “The Erlanger (Distance) Programm” October 2018
      Kansas City Mathematics Technology EXPO, University of Missouri–Kansas City
    • “Blogs, Wikis, and Tweets (Oh my!)” October 2015
      Kansas City Mathematics Technology EXPO, University of Missouri–Kansas City
    • “The Art of Teaching Mathematics” with Radmila Sazdanovic, August 2015
      MAA MathFest, Washington, D. C.
    • “Definitions as Proof Blueprints” August 2015
      MAA MathFest, Washington, D. C.
    • “Teaching the Art of Mathematics” with Radmila Sazdanovic, May 2015
      D’Art Symposium: Perspectives on Art Education, University of Applied Arts, Vienna
    • “Blogging Introductory Real Analysis” April 2013
      MAA EPaDel Sectional, Dickinson College

Grants and Awards

  • Teaching Awards
    • Certificate of Reflective Teaching, 2015
      NCSU Office of Faculty Development
    • Thank-A-Teacher Letters, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018
      NCSU Office of Faculty Development
    • Good Teaching Award, University of Pennsylvania, 2012
  • Grants
    • Hayek Fund for Scholars, 2019
    • Multimedia Accessibility Grant, NCSU Office of Information Technology 2018
      to provide captioning for MA 132 screencasts
    • Mathematics and Pedagogy: Training for Implementation of Common Core Standards, 2015-2017
      Co-Project Director (with Karen Hollebrands and Sonia Dupree)
      $445,000, US Department of Education
    • Alt-Textbook Project, NCSU Libraries 2014-2015
    • Writing for Conceptual Understanding in Calculus, NCSU Office of Faculty Development, 2014-2015
  • Other Awards
    • International Leadership Award, MSU International Students Association, 2011
      In recognition of “outstanding achievement in cross-cultural relations”

Professional Development as a Teacher

Service and Outreach

Mentoring

  • Pre-Freshman Program, University of Pennsylvania, 2020 —
  • NCSU GLBT Advocate
  • Undergraduate research
    • Simplicial Chromatic Polynomial, 2017-2018
      Philipp Buriak & Joseph Mueller
    • Partially-Prescribed Curve Shortening Flow, 2016-2017
      Davis Atkinson & Jonathan Dunay
      presentations at: NCSU Student Research Symposium 2016, UNCG Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference
    • Geometric Flows of Plane Curves, Summer 2014
      Jessie de la Cruz Santos, Ryan Gallagher, Sarah Hadaidi
      presentations at: NCSU Student Research Symposium 2014, JMM Session on Convex and Discrete Geometry 2015, JMM Student Poster Session 2015
  • Graduate students
    • Dustin Leininger, PhD 2020, NCSU
  • Graduate teaching mentoring
    • Daniel Scofield, Certificate of Achievement in Teaching, NCSU, 2017